Hospital and health system CFOs continue to grapple with a snaillike economic recovery. Now they have the added challenge of a federal deficit crisis that promises to put Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates in further jeopardy.

Health systems are adding freestanding imaging centers and aiming for around-the-clock coverage. At the same time, they are are being pressed to reduce extravagant and unnecessary imaging costs and to improve patient outcomes.

New technologies can turn industries upside down. While technology might provide the fix for healthcare, it's worth asking whether the cause of healthcare's problems can really be its solution. To tease out this conundrum, it helps to think clearly about the different types of technology that affect healthcare.